Case-control study, 1988
Do women with PMS have different physical stress responses than women without PMS?
The study found that women with and without PMS showed opposite patterns of physical response at different cycle times, which was unexpected. Women with PMS reported more stress after their period.
What they did
Researchers tested women with PMS and women without PMS at two different times in their cycle. They measured skin conductance and heart rate while women listened to tones, did proofreading, and word-association tasks.
What they found
Non-PMS women showed higher skin conductance and heart rate responses to tones before menstruation. Women with PMS showed higher responses after menstruation. Women with PMS reported experiencing more stress after their period.
What it means for you
The differences may be related to what women expect to feel rather than real physical changes. The main limitation is that the sample size is not given in the abstract.
About the study
- Original title
- Skin conductance and heart rate in women with premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Kirsch JR, Geer JH
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1988
- Study design
- Case-control study
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-198803000-00007
Topics
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